What makes a vehicle important? Sales, obviously, play a big factor. Any car or truck that sells well can be considered important. And, as it turns out, all of the vehicles on this list did well in the showroom. Read more...

According to one study, less than half of American drivers know what this warning symbol means.

If you’ve gotten the sense that automotive technology—and specifically auto safety technology—is advancing more quickly than drivers are learning about it, you’re not alone. A recent survey conducted by the team at MyCarDoesWhat.org finds that a number of recently introduced automotive safety features and systems are not well understood by the general driving public. Read more...

The following article, written by Consumer Guide Publisher Tom Appel, first appeared in the “2013 Chicago Auto Show Official Show Guide.” Thanks to the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, producers of the Auto Show, for allowing us to share the text again here.

Per any number of reporting agencies, some time in the last year the average transaction price of a new vehicle crossed the $30,000 line. Read more...

This 2013 Subaru BRZ has a nice, big knob for volume but not channel selection. On SiriusXM, getting from ’70s on 7 to Krishna Das Yoga Radio on Channel 360 is going to be a pain in the butt.

There’s no arguing that the things most auto writers focus on—price, power, handling, comfort—aren’t hugely important. Lord knows I focus on that stuff when I evaluate a car. In fact, at Consumer Guide there are exactly 10 things, plus value, that we fixate on. You can see the list as a part of any of our regular reviews.Read more...

In the name of General Patton, what the heck is a nav system doing in the Jeep Wrangler?

If you drive enough cars, you’ll encounter your fair share of weird stuff. Overwrought control systems designed by a masochist, inconvenient storage areas suited to a contortionist, costly options that would impress an extortionist, bedeviling colors in dire need of an exorcist; sooner or later, you’ll experience all of them—and more.Read more...

Recently, I tried to help my uncle-in-law buy a used car. Both of us were not just surprised by the prices; we were dumbfounded. CarMax, for example, offered a 2009 Honda Civic LX sedan (automatic) for $14,998. This car was nearly four years old and was saddled with 46,000 miles. A brand-new 2012 Honda Civic LX sedan (automatic) stickers at $18,655. Read more...

Chris has a laundry list of reasons why you shouldn’t buy a panoramic sunroof, such as the one on this Kia Optima.

Generally speaking, there’s little difference in manufacturing costs between a small vehicle and a large one or between a cheap model and a loaded version. This means that automakers have a powerful incentive to push large, fully equipped models with higher per-unit profit margins—that is, a bigger difference between production cost and sticker price.Read more...

After being sold overseas for two years, Chevrolet’s Korean-designed and –sourced Spark subcompact car is arriving here soon as a 2013 entry. Naturally, the bow-tie brigade has cranked up its PR machine to make sure everyone knows about it. Leading the hype parade is a press release that caught our eye. Headlined “Four Decades Later, Mini Cars Livin’ Large Sedan Life,” it makes the point that although the Spark and its ilk may be small outside, they’re deceptively roomy inside. In fact, Chevy claims the Spark is as spacious as full-size American sedans of the early and mid-1970s, which it aptly termed “some of the largest passenger cars ever.”Read more...